Lightning Strikes: The Hothead and the Snow Beast
The train takes a plunge, inching forward at an excruciating pace as it leaves Onibus Station. It rocks back and forth, its relentless whining and groaning soon turning into the gentle purr of its racing wheels against the track. Samarra sat eagerly in her self appointed throne in the cable car, her body excited at the chance for adventure, for it had been quite some time since she had gone out on a job on her own. This job peaked her interest because it reminded her of the circumstances she faced in Onibus when she had first came to the town, before her guild had started and she knew what purpose she had to fill in this lifetime. The town that she was heading to, Edinburgh, was a small town due east of Clover Town that made its home in the comfortable grassy plains of Fiore and was known as a good place to stop to rest for those on their way to the Hunting Village. But the past two weeks, the quaint town had been taken over by a pair of two mages who had used their temperature based magics to control that of the towns goods and services for their own pleasure. Onibus had been facing a similar siege when Samarra first found her way to her new home, a group of Shattered Dusk mages had taken over the town and had been robbing the people of their money and goods. It was true that Samarra had driven those mages away, but they would soon make their way back to hurt her and her family in a spiteful vengeance for kicking them out of what they saw as their home. Back then she had only though of protecting the people of Onibus from the wrongful robbery that the dark mages were imposing on them, but she hadn't really thought about what driving them out of town would do for their livelihood. That she was kicking them out of the place they had made as home, and so in her eyes she was the bad guy, making for an understandable grudge held against her. But this time she was going to try and be different. This time she had a guild of her own that she could call home. A guild that she could use to welcome others in to as long as they we open to abandoning their devious ways. As the train came to a halt outside of clover town Samarra got off and began her walk towards the small town to the east, vowing to herself that this time she would do all she could to understand her opponent's motives so she can help both them and the people of the town. -- Edinburgh "Alright let's see what we made today," said a blonde mage with a flame atop his head. He held up a black rock. "What's this?" "That's coal Erik," said his companion, possessing snow white hair. "Cool... how much is this worth?" "It's worthless. People stopped using coal after vehicles were altered to run on magic." "What?!" "They act like we couldn't tell the difference between a rock and Black Iron. Erik keep that away from your head!" "Why?" "It's on fire!" "It is?!" "Okay, maybe the citizen's thoughts were justified." -- Outside Edinburgh Samarra thought that it probably wouldn't be that hard to find the culprits who have been vandalizing the town, if it was anything like the last time she encountered a town takeover, the bandits would actually find her. They would try and rob her and force her to leave, but with her skill, Samarra doubted that would happen. The town was fairly small, probably only covering a few square miles if anything, and from what she could sense from the air, there were very few high level mages that would be able to protect it from a well trained duo. No matter how strong you may be, sometimes numbers and combinations will win out in the long run. The nature of this small town was probably how the two thugs managed to gain capital of it, and Samarra would be sure to bring them to justice for causing so much trouble for the hardworking people who kept this town on the map. As she came upon the town, she could see remnants of flames scorched into the ground; probably a means of intimidation because the streets were eerily empty. Well it's obvious that Fire Magic is involved. Probably someone reckless judging by the numerous marks left on the buildings around here. Seems like that personality trait just comes with the trade... Samarra thought as she continued to silently walk through the town until she came upon what she perceived as the center square of the town. She picked up on a slight sense of magic close by, and considering that she hadn't been attacked yet, she presumed that the bandits were just unaware of her presence. Still a bit unsure as to the nature of the two thugs, Samarra decided to send a few tendrils of wire from her Wire Magic underground around her in the event that she needed to protect herself or simply just ensnare the two threats. With still no sign of the two mages, and a defense set done in the open space, Samarra decided to yell out as loud as she could to try and get their attention. "HELLO! ANYONE HERE?! I'M LOST, I NEED SOME HELP! PLEASE!" -- Erik's ears suddenly perked up. "Did you hear that?" "Yes," answered Lionel. "Sounded like a girl," said Erik. "Maybe we should go help her." Lionel looked at Erik in confusion. "Do you mean rob or actually help?" "Either or. Depends on if she's cute or not." Exiting the barn from which they were stationed, they looked around to see a young woman with brown hair. "Does she meet your standards?" asked Lionel. "Not quite," said Erik. "How about you?" Lionel just looked at him in annoyance. "Oh... right." Samarra turned towards the two men who stepped out of the barn. One seemed to have a flame flickering atop his head, giving away his magic preference easily and the person Samarra obviously attributed to the scorch marks she saw earlier. The other man seemed to be wearing a winter fur coat despite it being close to spring time, and so Samarra deduced he was probably similar to other Ice Mages that she had met and their propensity to run cold no matter the time of year. The fact that they actually came out and weren't immediately trying to attack her made her feel a bit more at ease, as they may have the ability to be reasoned with. Now that she had them in her sights, she figured playing dumb wouldn't be a viable option, so she might as well be upfront with the two mages who's magic power she could clearly sense now from their closer proximity and lack of suppressor. With a smile she faced them with her hand an her hip, "So you actually did come out; that's a bit of surprise. Now tell me, are you two the self proclaimed owners of this town now? If so, don't you think you're a little old to be playing King of the Hill? You're what; early twenties maybe?" "27 actually," said Erik. "How old are you?" "You never ask a woman her age," Lionel said to Erik. "Why's that?" asked Erik. "It's just rude." Lionel put his fingers onto his gloves, and began to gingerly take them off. "Besides, I believe this woman has come to stop our mining operation." He took his black gloves and placed them in his coat pocket. "What?! We have a mine!?" Lionel pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "She's strong. We shouldn't hold back against her." Lionel's fingernails elongated into claws. The citizens had been boarding up their windows and doors since the two mages had stepped out of their barn. "We'll give you one chance to leave and never come back. You might be strong, but no one's been able to stand up to Ice and Fire before." Yup, looks like their "creative" team name kinda gives away their powers even more...looks like strategy may not be their strong suit and they try to win through brute strength. Well that shouldn't be a problem either way. Samarra thought to herself as she watched the claws come out of the more considerate and conscientious of the two. She knew that that was a sign that he wanted to get close to strike, but Samarra wanted to still try on reason with them. "I appreciate your offer, but I only wish to reason with you. I implore that you leave this town alone, give the people back their freedom and I promise that I can help you both find yours. My name is Samarra, I am a guild master and I can offer you a home if that is all you need. Something that will be best for both the people of this town, and both of you. So please, leave this town alone. I don't want to have to fight you both." "She doesn't want to fight?" said Erik. "That must mean she's scared!" "No you idiot," responded Lionel, "she's just the more diplomatic type." The two mages began walking in a semi-circle, seemingly sizing her up. "You should know that this town wasn't even aware of the rare ores hidden deeper in its mines before we arrived. We're just... receiving payment for our services. Admittedly, somewhat aggressively. Tell me, how much are these townspeople paying you to get rid of us?" "Yeah! We'll double it!" "We don't have that much money Erik." Samarra stood still, her eyes fixed forward as the two men begin to circle around her. She had seen similar behavior in animals, used as somewhat of an intimidation as well as a means to measure their prey and get the element of surprised. But to Samarra it was of no issue, she was already prepared before they even stepped foot outside. Their odd behavior reminded her of an old child's tale, where a lion enlisted the help of hyenas to help overthrow his brother and take over the pride. The flame headed one reminded her of one of the short wit hyenas, where the ice Mage was more like the sinister lion; although both were ultimately doomed to loose in this battle. As they continued to circle Samarra spoke out, "Well that was nice of you to share that valuable information with me, how kind of you to let me in on your mining operation. I'm sure Rune Knights would appreciate your openness as well. Luckily for you, I am the one who was asked to come here. So no need to worry about doubling an amount that you know nothing of. That isn't my interest." She spoke calmly. "I only want the liberation of these townsfolk, and to know what I can do to help you both in the aftermath. So tell me, why did you decide to stoop to taking a town hostage?" Lionel exhaled, despite the warm weather, his breath was still visible. "Have you ever heard of the Bellona Alliance? Perhaps the Dark Guild Grand Tundra? Likely not, they're defunct now. Guild master captured, members scattered, trying their best to try and make a living. We watched the previous Grand Magic Games. Did you see how the crowd treated Drake Doomkaiser? There's no room for honest work for men like us. So instead we choose to take what we need to survive." He clenched his fist, and all that could be seen was white, and all that could be felt was cold. It was Lionel's signature spell: White Out. It eradicated the senses of smell and sight in one move, while also causing the target to gradually freeze from the cold. Erik picked that moment to strike. He ran towards Samarra, propelling himself using his flames, and aimed a sweeping kick towards her legs, to trip her, before retreating with a similar move. Lionel would then follow up with a blow to her gut, also retreating back into the blizzard he had summoned immediately after his strike. Samarra nodded her head, having heard mention of the Bellona Alliance, only due to the fact that Shattered Dusk had joined up long ago; but the dark alliance was never a large enough threat for them to worry about, and ultimately it seemed that it declined on its own. "That's not true, there's..." Is all Samarra managed to get out before a wall of white covered her sense of sight. This wasn't a problem for her however, as she still had a "clear vision" of where these unnamed mages were thanks to the electrical impulses their bodies emitted that she could pick up on using her Static Detection. That was something that no mage alive could mask, and had always come in handy for those who seem to rely on voiding out their opponents apparent senses. As she expected, the reckless one that was on her left began to run to attack first; while the lion-like one seemed to follow suit with a few seconds delay. Saddened by their inability to listen to reason, quickly resulting to violence after only two exchanges, Samarra was determined to make them listen and change their minds; even if that meant detaining them first. Rising up the ethernano wire's she had set in place underground earlier, she created a wall of interlacing wires around herself that absorbed the impact of the meager physical hits. Once absorbed, they would send the energy of the hits back at the two men, and then Samarra would quickly turn her Solo Rampart into flying tendrils aimed at wrapping around the two mages like a pig in a blanket. Talk about dishonoring me. I did tell them I was a guild master, they could at least attack me with a magic infused hit or something... Samarra thought to herself, feeling her body temperature continue to drop from the cold. In order to combat this she took on her Beast Embodiment: Kyna form; the enhanced flame ethernano that now coursed through her veins easily overcoming the frigid air as she waiting to see if she had caught the two men in her net. Erik shot flames from his body, propelling himself back into the blizzard before they could wrap around him. Within seconds, he was already using his Big Rocket spell, in conjunction with his High Speed to grab Lionel, and pull him out of the path of the wires as well. "Hah hah! Too slow!" he called mockingly, before immediately changing his current position, ensuring that she couldn't locate him by sound in the snowstorm. He dropped off Lionel, and the two continued surrounding their opponent under the shroud of snow. Wanting to test the effective of her defenses, Lionel created another wave of snow, directed straight towards Samarra with the aim of fitting through the cracks in her wires and striking her. "Heh, slow is not my style when it comes to battles." Samarra chuckled, sensing the electrical masses move around her stationary position within the white haze that surrounded her. She could see that one of them used a forward sweeping motion with their arm, a typical casting method for an attack, and so she puts up her wire shield once more. But she doesn't feel the heat, that was reminiscent of the hyena's attack; and so she assumes that the approaching magical wave was from the lion and would be of the ice or snow variety. As an added means of protection, Samarra used the flames that Kyna's embodiment granted her to coat herself in an inch or so of dancing crimson flames. Luckily she did this, as some of the snow began to seep through the cracks, a drip landing and sizzling out when it came in contact with her flames. Knowing a fire-based counter would be useless against the hyena, she decided that a widespread electric attack would surely paralyze them and allow for their detainment so that she could convince them that there was more to life than what they were living. Charging up a great deal of ethernano into her core, Samarra quickly unleashed a widespread Static Discharge into the area; the flames of her protective coat sending out with it as a first means of attack before being replaced on her body. "I'd be shocked if you could find a place to outrun this, hyena." She said, almost to herself, but laughed at her pun none the less. The lightning seemed to be on course, spreading outwards as intended, but suddenly, all the lightning condensed into a beam of electricity, and shot itself directly into Erik's leg. It cackled with yellow sparks surrounding it, before glowing with electrical heat. Of course, due to Lionel's White Out, this couldn't be seen. "Lionel I have to offload!" "Don't tell me! Just do it!" Using his Big Rocket once more, he propelled himself towards Samarra at speeds greater than any High Speed user. He would've been invisible to the eye if he was visible to begin with. He aimed a kick towards Samarra's back, with lightning so strong that it could burn a Slayer and destroy magical rubber. "Lightning Leg!" Seeing her attack get absorbed, and hearing out the words spoken between the two men, she knew that her lighting was going to come straight back towards her with the man who seemed to boast the ego that speed was on his side. Putting up a Torii Stockade barrier around herself at the words of the lion, which was thankful because although she dispelled the ethernano that she discharged in her absorbed attack, the lightning from the kick managed to send a spiderweb crack through her barrier before it broke down and the end of the kick. Not wanting this close advantage to go away, Samarra did what she thought would finally give her the upper hand in this fog. "Inferno's Rage!" Samarra shouts as she uses her Beast Embodiment to condense stray magical energy in the area into a large sphere, rotating the magic at very high speeds. Taking a matter of only five seconds Samarra manages to absorb the ethernano contained from the remnents of both her and Erik's attacks, but as well as absorbing the ethernano that was made from Lionel's White Out into the growing spinning orb. She then thrusts the ball forward to release the magic energy as whirling blast towards the closest of the two men. This recycling of the magical energy is rotated at such high speeds that it generated a deathly heat wave, as well as a piercing screeching sound. Samarra knew of Erik's love for High Speed Magic and so she was tuned in to match his speed with her own should he try and outrun her attack; something that would finally move Samarra from the spot she had been standing in and give her a sign that these mages actual had the potential for greatness. "Oh shit!" shouted Erik. He blasted flames from his feet, sending him away from Samarra, aiming the jets towards the guild master, hoping to act as a sort of flash bang. Lionel had already moved over to Erik's side, and caught him to stop his trajectory, noting that Samarra's sphere had begun to increase in size from absorbing his spell. "Tactical retreat," said Lionel. Erik and Lionel began to run down the street, with Erik summoning a small car in front of them. The two mages jumped inside, the engine starting before they had even begun moving. Erik attached an SE-Plug to himself, and used both his Fire Magic and High Speed, propelling the car at a breakneck pace. "Where are we headed?" asked Erik. "Back to the mines," said Lionel. "We'll have the advantage there." Watching as the car drove off into the distance Samarra couldn't help but be drawn in by the uncommon Vehicle Magic that she had thought faded away from popular use. "Well darn, why do they have to run away..." Samarra says to herself as she finally takes a step from her position at the start in the direction that the car drove off into. Knowing that the two men were probably not keen on leaving the "business" they had created here, Samarra guess that their fleeing from this battle was not a sign that the town was no safe. Releasing her Beast Embodiment a ball of energy like magic seemed to pull out of her chest and float down to the ground. It then shifted into that of a small white fox who's body was alive with flames, it was the beast who had just lent her power, Kyna the Okami Fox. With the telepathic link established between Samarra and all her beasts she could hear the melodic and intelligent voice of her long time companion. Seems you have run into some trouble. What makes you call upon my help today? Kyna asks, sitting down on the ground and tilting her head to the side at her master. "Well it had been some time since we got some action so I figured I would go pick a fight for you." Samarra jokes, getting a huff of air from the fox and her amusement with the out of character joke."No, it seems two mages have taken over this town and it's supposed mines, and I decided to take on the job of relieving them of that position. We had a scuffle as you know and they took off right after I launched your Inferno's Rage. One appears to have Fire, High Speed, and Vehicle Magic; with an odd lightning ability in one of his legs. The other seems to be more intelligent combat wise and possess Snow and Ice Magic from what I could gather." She summarizes, leaning down to scratch behind the ear of her beloved friend. I see why you called upon my help earlier then, glad to be of some service my lady. I assume you require my aid in tracking them down then. Kyna "spoke", earning a nod from Samarra as they both look towards the distance the two men traveled. Well luckily their magical stench is vast in this area and I have no problem locking onto their path. Though they seem to be travelling rather fast. Perhaps you may need something a bit less taxing than your High Speed to catch up to them? Kyna suggested. Taking the intelligent fox's idea and bringing it to fruition, Samarra summoned forth one of her other reliable beasts with whose speed could surpass that of even the most expensive vehicles. Kokoro was a loyal Komainu with whom Samarra had come to love alongside his twin brother, but the fact that she had already summoned Kyna, she could not afford to waste magic on anything more than a dual summon. Informing Kokoro of the plan, both Kyna and Samarra hopped atop the large lion-dog's back who then took off in a dead sprint in the direction of the car, following the tracks it made in the dirt as well as using Kyna's sense of smell when the tracks seemed to disappear. It didn't take them long to arrive at the entrance of a mine shaft, Samarra getting an eerie feeling emanating from the tunnel as she dismissed her two summons and began to enter inside with a barrier spell ready at her fingertips for whatever surprise laid in store. As they entered the cave, the temperature seemed to drop, although, a product of the cave's environment, not of Lionel's magic. They continued down the path until a small flicker of light could be seen at the end of the cave. "Catch me if you can," said Erik, with the flame suddenly going out. A quiet laugh reverberated throughout the cave, the origin of which could not longer be discerned. The area down the rest of the cave was pitch black. From what Samarra could tell, this was a slope mine that was formed into the hillside they entered on and was a medium size due to the reverb caused in the echo that the hyena sent out. As anyone would know, mines were highly unstable and their creation has led to many a collapse when trying to expand their reaches. This faulty structural integrity generally lead to the creation of only one passage way that served as both the entrance and exit; for creation of another way out would cause stress points across the surface of the earth the mine was created in, causing a collapse of one or both passageways. Samarra was not going to give away her hold on the exit and so instead of moving forward deeper into the mine, Samarra summoned forth Kyna once more and sent her outside to ensure that no other exit points were made and to alert her telepathically if she smells their scents surfacing. Samarra then stood patiently in the threshold of the exit, using her Static Detection and sensing abilities to their utmost to prepare herself for their strikes. "You have trapped yourself, so please give up before you ruin the integrity of this mine and cause it's collapse. Please listen to reason. I can offer you both a comfortable life at my guild. We are family there with no pass in judgement on what your background might be. We accept those for who they are now and serve to grow alongside one another in the guild. I assure you that you could find a home within it's walls." Samarra pleaded. "Hm..." Erik's voice echoed through the cave. "That does sound pretty good." "Please," Lionel's voice echoed as well. "No one's ever been kind to us. What makes you think they're going to start now? The only way for you to get us out of this town is for you to come get us!" Samarra sighs at Lionel's stubbornness, surprised to see that he was the one who would not listen, and not the more reckless of the two. She was not going to fall for their obvious attempt at baiting her into the cave, giving away her stronghold on the exit, and so she figured that they may be at a standstill for awhile. Luckily this gave her time to talk it over. "You're wrong, I am showing you kindness right now. I want to welcome you into the arms of my guild and give you jobs and a place to stay. It is easy to see that you are exceptional mages, and you could put those skills to great use in helping people, rather than hurting them. It's as they say, 'show kindness to others, and you shall receive it back tenfold'. It is only a matter of changing your perspective and realizing that the world isn't out to get you. That you have people who wish to help you along the way. That is all I am trying to do; help you." She said in earnest, knowing that they will probably spout off something about coming into the mine to capture them once again. "I am not going to come in there and get you, but I will humor you with a game if you hear me out." She said, pressing on her INDO bracelet she pulled out a series of enscribed throwing knives. "Let's say that if you managed to dodge all six of these knives I will quit trying to persuade you and you guys can have the fight you so eagerly desire?" She said separating the kunai into her two hands. "I mean you have to figure that you already have the upper hand in the darkness, since I can't really tell where you are except for your voices, so really it's a win-win. You can watch me probably make a fool of myself with my aim from here, and then you get me to shut up for the rest of this standoff. So what do you say?" Erik looked at his companion. Lionel nodded in return. They were covered in the pitch black darkness of the cave, and their voices echoed off of it, making sure that they could not be located based off of sound. To them, their opponent hadn't demonstrated the ability to track them in this environment. "Alright! We'll take your wager!" Lionel called to Samarra, the two mages preparing to evade. Samarra laughed out, "Alright! Fights should try and be enjoyable, right? So I am always down to test my skills in a new and fun way. Alright, let's see how fast you guys really are!" Samarra then closed her eyes to get a sense of where the electrical energy was concentrated, relying on the same sense of sight through their synaptical impulses as she did in their whiteout. Getting a read on where the two mages stood she then threw out the first two enscribed knives in their direction, knowing that the first two they would surely dodge, but it would help her get a read on how big the cave was when she would head them clank against the back wall hopefully. The second two she would then throw out to both the left and right side of the cave respectively, assuming that the two men would try and dodge in a manner that would put them at a closer range to attack her from both sides. She kept the last two in her hands as an insurance method in case they tried to get to close, but she also wanted to save the last two so she could throw them more accurately after seeing how the dodged the first four. For someone of their caliber, Erik and Lionel had no difficulty dodging the first two knives. Erik enhanced his movements with High Speed, moving his body out of the path of the blade, while Lionel jumped to the ceiling, clinging to it with his claws. Both knives harmlessly clanged at the end of the wall, where the first turn deeper into the excavated area was. The second batch of knives however, where a bit more tricky. Lionel detached from the ground, falling downwards onto all fours. Erik somersaulted forward as well, and the two found themselves almost right next to each other. Seeing their movements, Samarra knew the first two knives were dodged and that the second two off to the left and right were a complete miss due to their creative ways of dodging and fell empty against the ground. Knowing that the four enscribed kunais were now spread out through the room she felt confident that she had succeeded in her plan. Dropping the last two knives out in front of her she brings her hands up in an odd position before speaking out. "Well looks like you managed to dodge all the knives, so guess I have to be quiet now, huh? Well you may have one that battle, but I will win the war." She says with a smile, seeing as how the two men hadn't picked up that the symbols enscibed on the knives weren't just mere decoration. They were in fact her summoning seal; and now with at least six seals surrounding the battle area, she had the upper hand. "Now, Senbon Coffin!" With the entire cave as her stage, there was no way to avoid the shadow walls that came to surround the two men, ready to release their barrage of thousands of needles. The two mages had no way to defend against the onslaught, at least not one that they could employ fast enough to counter the sneak attack. The needles lacerated their body, and both mages fell to the floor, defeated. "She played us," said Lionel, lying prone on the ground. Seeing the two men lying on the on the ground, she knew that her attack was fairly successful. That's how you bait someone boys...that game wasn't a game at all. She thought as she kept her position at the exit steady. "Now you see that you still have much to learn. And if you give me the chance, I can help you guys learn all the skills you need to know to truly bring out the potential you have as mages. It's obvious that you're both strong, but you could use those skills for something far greater than stealing from innocent people. I can give you a home and an accepting place where you can hone these skills and achieve heights you could achieve on your own. Please let me help you. I promise that that Koma Inu could make life great for both of you. Will you please just give it a try?" Samarra pleaded. Lionel and Erik slowly got back to their feet, the flame on Erik's head suddenly bursting back to life, illuminating the darkness. "A new home huh?" said Lionel. He began walking towards Samarra, Erik following behind him. Lionel's claws retreated back into fingernails, and he put his gloves back on. "I was thinking about attacking you again, but I knew it was futile. What say you Erik? Want to try being a legal mage?" "Sure," he answered, "why not?" "Fine, just give some time to pack up our things." Lionel walked past Samarra and out of the cave. Erik stopped next to her. "You know Lightning Magic, right? Could you teach me how to control my leg?" "Erik right? Sure, I would gladly teach you how to control it and make it even stronger." She said with a smile, Kyna appearing outside of the cave with teeth barred before Samarra updated her on their surrender. "And what is the other man's name? You never really introduced yourself... but I am very happy to have you give Koma Inu a go, I assure you that we won't disappoint!" She said with a smile, still slightly weary of their surrender, but none the less pleased that her job was able to end on a high note. "His name's Lionel Timber," answered Erik. "I'm Erik Cole. We've been partners ever since I could remember. But to be fair, that's not saying much. I have trouble remembering things." He said this as he scratched the back of his head, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of trying to remember events in his past. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you both. As I said, my name is Samarra Inari, guild master of Koma Inu, among other frivolous titles. But I hope you guys will really enjoy the guild, I'm sure you'll find a home among it's kind members soon enough." She said with a cheery smile towards the two newest members to her family.